Summer camps are full of activities sure to satisfy kids of all ages. Whether you are looking for day camp or an overnight camp, ranging from a few nights up to a few weeks, there is one commonly asked question: “Is my child old enough to attend summer camp?”
The benefits of Summer Camp
More than 6 million children each year participate in summer camp activities. Summer camp is a supervised program for children and teens conducted during the months kids are on a typical summer break from school. There are more than 12,000 summer camps conducted each year in the United States, 5,000 of which are day camps and 7,000 are overnight camps.
Summer camp helps children learn a number of beneficial, life-changing skills. Kids learn to develop strengths in various areas such as sports, communication skills, and hand-eye coordination from crafts and games. Being away from their parents at overnight camp promotes independence and helps them to develop a sense of identity, being able to make choices on their own.
They also learn team building exercises and learn to evaluate input from peers their age. Campers learn to work together with others to get through obstacle courses or games. Camp provides them with computer-free activities and plenty of free play outdoors. This is instrumental to a child’s development, because it helps them to learn creative thinking, express their thoughts with good verbal communication, and learn to resolve conflict on their own.
Is my child too young to attend an overnight summer camp?
There is simply no definitive answer of when a child is “old enough” to attend summer camp activities, whether these are at a day camp or overnight camp. It is thought that children around the age of 10 are typically ready to attend overnight summer camps lasting one week or more, but there are many factors to consider before sending them off.
- How mature is your child?
- Can your child fully shower alone without help from a parent?
- Are they comfortable being away from home?
Children aged 5 and under may be ready to attend a day-only summer camp, without overnight activities. They will likely do better with summer camps that incorporate the parents into the camp as well.
If your child is between the ages of 6-8, they are in the typical age range. If you are considering enrolling them for an overnight summer camp, do not force the idea. You must first ask yourself the above-mentioned questions and then discuss this with your child. They need to know that you will not be there for days and nights, and a camp counselor or teacher will be their instructor and will care for them. If your child doesn’t seem comfortable with this, do not enroll them in an overnight camp. You can start slowly with a day-camp and adjust up when they have more confidence in the program and what it entails.
Children aged 9 and older are more likely to be ready to attend overnight summer camp. If your child is in this age range, ask them what they would like to do. If they are ready to go, enroll them in a camp specific to their hobbies and desires to learn more.
About Camp Keystone
Camp Keystone was founded in 1996 by Larry Klein in Agoura Hills, California. We offer Monday through Friday day camp, open from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm with extended hours available upon request from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. We offer fun activities like arts and crafts all the way to go-karting and waterslides.
In addition to our Monday through Friday days, we offer Super Saturdays. These days are filled with interactive magic shows, a talent show, a go-kart event, a ninja wall, a surfboard simulator, an arco flyer, a defender dome, a rope quest, an alpine tube slide, and much more!
We offer many amenities available upon request including:
- Transportation: We have more than 20 pickup locations for campers to ride the bus to Camp Keystone, accompanied by a camp counselor.
- Pre-packaged, fresh lunches for an additional charge
- Before and aftercare for families who provide their own transportation
At Camp Keystone, we are committed to ramping up your children’s summer activities! Give us a call today to speak with one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff members to discuss your child’s enrollment.